Naruto: A Feudal Fairytale
by Lowd
Summary: [AU] This is Hinata. This is Hinata falling down a well. This is Hinata falling 500 years into the past. This is Hinata falling in love and rising above and beyond what she was while blossoming into who she will be. The Inuyasha story, with a ninja twist.
1. The Girl

A/N: Yo…Dani here with a new story for you guys, inspired by a moment of caffeinated genius in which I realized "Hey, those animes have a lot in common!" Got bored and this was the result. Hopefully, it won't be a complete disaster.

Disclaimer (the only formal one you'll get from me): I do not own any of the Naruto characters or the Inuyasha storyline. These animes belong to their respective owners, which does not include myself. The idea of this crossover may very well be mine, but that's about it. And now...

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Naruto no Kyuubi: A Feudal Fairy Tale**

**Chapter 1: The Girl...**

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_"Everybody, run! Run for your lives!" The great crowd of villagers surged away from the burning houses, desperate to seek nonexistent refuge. Many rushed forward towards the shrine at the highest point of the town, frantic and overcome with terror for the destruction of the village. Every able man held a weapon in hand, awaiting orders from the Hokage, but rumor had it that he had gone missing, and as the battle went on with no sight of him, many feared the worst. "Look! It's here! It's the demon!" Panic seized the crowd, as a small shape leapt towards the shrine, leaving devastation in its wake. It soared through the air before smashing through the shrine's roof, landing in a small room filled with incense to ward off demons like him. He snorted._

_"Like a little smoke will really stop _me_." He held an orange sleeve to his face anyway, and darted forward towards the pedestal in the middle of the room, grabbing the round, glowing jewel lying there. He smirked. "Finally…I'll finally be able to realize my dream!" He laughed raucously as he tore through the ceiling again and began to make his escape towards the woods. "You got that, everybody!" He yelled for everyone to hear, "I'm gonna be the strongest now! No one will be able to stop me!" He now reached the forest, and landed on the largest tree, so everyone would be able to see and hear him in his single greatest moment of glory "NO ONE!"_

_"NARUTO!"_

_A great crash rang through the forest as he was slammed face first into the ground by a young man who had suddenly appeared behind him. "What the---!" he tried to pick himself off the ground but the teen got to him first, and pulled him up by the collar of his orange jacket, slamming his back into the tree he had previously been standing on. Grabbing an oversized kunai from his belt, he focused until it and the special seal attached to it until glowed white with all the chakra he had left in his body. The smaller boy's eyes widened as realization finally dawned on him, and his blue eyes settled on his captor's blank white ones._

_With his last ounce of strength, the teen plunged the kunai through the boy's heart till it bit into the wood of the tree behind him. Naruto cried out in pain before gritting his teeth and dropping the jewel at the young man's feet. Chuckling weakly, the dying boy reached out almost desperately, as if to somehow grasp the consciousness which was slowly slipping away from him. "N-Neji…but…you said that…" The boy paused as he painfully coughed up blood, but he looked determined to finish. "_Why_?" he concluded simply, as his time ran out. His hand dropped, as did his eyelids, and he fell silent as Neji slumped to his knees in front of the tree. A small smile graced his lips._

_"Goddamn traitorous fox. I was supposed to ask that."_

_"Neji!" A silver-haired child ran to his side with several villagers in tow. "Brother, what's wrong! Are you okay!" His left eye had been wounded during the chaos, and a hasty bandage now covered it and stopped the bleeding._

_"Kakashi…" he turned to face him, the smile now gone from his face. "Kakashi, promise me you'll burn my body, and the jewel with it…"_

_"W-What are you talking about? You're not going to die! You're the Hokage---you're invincible!" He grabbed his hand only to flinch and release it again quickly. "Y-You're hands, they're so cold… Neji, why didn't you get the healers! You wouldn't have lost so much blood if you had just gotten them earlier!" Neji looked away. "Neji! Quickly, someone summon the healers before he passes out from the blood loss!"_

_"Don't, Kakashi…" Neji murmured._

_"What! What do you mean, 'don't'! What's wrong with you! Do you have a death wish! Where the hell are the healers---!"_

_"Kakashi!" Neji interrupted forcefully. Kakashi fell silent. "…Don't…don't waste the healers' chakra on me…I-I'm beyond their help already anyway…"_

_Kakashi's visible eye brimmed with tears. "Don't say such things! It's not too late, it can't be---!"_

_Neji grasped Kakashi's shoulders roughly, shaking him slightly. "It's alright, Kakashi! I want to die here…I _have_ to die here…"_

_"No!"_

_"Kakashi! You must listen carefully! I don't have much time left, it's a miracle I've lasted this long," he said quickly, picking up the jewel lying next to him. "When I die, you must burn the Shikon no tama with my body. If I'm going to die, this cursed jewel's going to be destroyed with me. Promise me you'll do as I say."_

_"B-but…!"_

_"Promise!"_

_"I promise!"_

_"Stay strong… Kakashi…" His eyelids drooped, the rest of his body following suit, collapsing into a dirty puddle of his own blood._

_"BROTHER!"_

"HINATA!" Hinata snapped to attention at the sound of her name, blushing with shame at being caught day-dreaming. Her father glared down at her imperiously, obviously appalled at her lack of focus. "One so untalented as you can not afford to have her thoughts wander," he slowly warned, to Hinata's increasingly reddening face. Hinata murmured her apology, and her father continued his lecture about the family history.

Hinata listened as best she could, but she couldn't help feeling either bored or confused as her father preached in his deep, monotonous voice. Shikon no Tama this, feudal era that…It all just got jumbled up in her brain along the way anyway. Half of her just wanted to go to sleep, but the other half insisted she stay awake and appreciate that her father had taken the time out of his busy schedule to teach her this.

Her father didn't often spend time doing anything with her anymore; he had dismissed her as being incompetent a long time ago. Well, when Hanabi came along to be specific. Now there was a daughter to be proud of… She was strong, confident, focused---in short, everything she herself was not. The fact that she was five years Hanabi's senior did nothing for her already wounded pride.

Either way, her father was spending time with her now, so she figured she should at least try to make the most of it. Even if it only was probably because her birthday was tomorrow…perhaps her father considered his mere presence to be an early birthday present? She wouldn't put it past him…

Struggling valiantly to pay attention, her body screamed to be allowed to fidget, but she knew her father would not tolerate it. If she could only move her foot a little bit to the left…_No!_ Her self-discipline screamed. _You can't move now! You've come all this way, just hold on a little longer…_ But her numb leg just begged to be moved…just a _little_ bit…One teensy weensy fidget to the left, that was all… _Don't give in! Don't do it!_ Her arms had fallen asleep too… _Don't move! _Perspiration began to break out on her forehead from the effort… _Stay still!_ Her muscles ached and pleaded to be used… _Don't---!_

Her father looked up at the sound of the room's door sliding open, only to see her grandmother standing in the doorway rather impatiently. "Didn't you two hear me? I said dinner was ready. Hurry before the miso gets cold." The door slid closed again, and her father rose to follow her grandmother to dinner. There was a distinct thump, and her father turned back towards Hinata inquiringly.

"Hinata, what are you doing on the floor?"

Hinata whimpered pathetically with her head on the floor, her body slumped forward, legs still in their kneeling position and arms still in her lap, as if her body had somehow frozen that way. She seemingly painfully waved her hand a little. "I'm okay…uh, I'll be there in a second…" she called from her uncomfortable position weakly.

Her father cocked an eyebrow and left the room. What an odd girl…

Dinner had been average, everyone eating in tense silence as usual, no one dropping hints as to whether or not they were even celebrating her birthday tomorrow. Every now and then, Hinata wished her family was a _normal_ one…well, that wasn't entirely true. They might've been ashamed of what a failure she was turning out to be, but they were her family and she still loved them and wouldn't change them for the world; if anything, she wished she could change _herself_ for them, not vice versa.

And now she stood in front of the mirror on the morning of her fourteenth birthday, wishing once again that she could just change everything about herself completely. If she'd had the option, she'd wish she was _brave_, not timid, _strong_, not weak, _valuable_, not useless…

Even her appearance in her reflection screamed "plain." She was on the small side, and her hair was far too short to be considered beautiful or one of her better features. She lacked in the T&A departments so her figure wasn't all that appealing (although that might've been because she was always wearing oversized coats that were very successful in hiding whatever figure she had), and granted she wasn't butt-ugly, she was no beauty queen either, instead stuck in limbo between the two.

Hinata looked up at the sound of something hitting her window and flinched when she heard the sound again. "Hey, Hinata! You ready to go yet?" A familiar bark followed the call and Hinata sighed with relief. She walked to the window to confirm her suspicions and as she had guessed, Kiba and Shino were standing on top of the high wall separating her family's estate from the road. Kiba's arm was poised over his head, preparing to throw another small rock at her window.

Before he could do anything that could possibly break the fragile glass pane, she threw open the window and waved her arms a bit to let him know she had already acknowledged their presence. Kiba waved back and Akamaru barked happily from inside his master's jacket, and even Shino nodded slightly before she closed the window again and hurried to gather her things together before meeting them for training.

Before leaving the room, she paused one last time at the full length mirror opposite her door, gazing almost sadly at the simple girl who stared back at her. She looked away, leaving the room, and closed the door behind her.

Kiba and Shino were waiting for her by the old well house near the front gate. Though her father didn't necessarily disapprove of her friends/teammates, the boys got the message to steer clear of the intimidating older man lest they get on his bad side.

"I-I'm sorry I took so long," she apologized as she jogged up to them, a little out of breath from her hurry to gather her things in her house.

"Ahh, don't worry about it," said Kiba with a grin. "Birthday girls are allowed to be a little late." Hinata looked up in surprise. She hadn't thought anybody had remembered, much less Kiba and Shino.

"H-how did you know…?" she asked, more than just a little taken aback.

"We didn't," answered Shino bluntly.

Hinata sweat-dropped. "Then why…?"

"We didn't remember," explained Kiba for his verbally-challenged friend, "but your little sister saw us and came up and reminded us. So technically, we didn't know but she did."

This new piece of information really startled Hinata. Hanabi? Hanabi of all people had remembered her birthday, and had even gone out of her way to remind these two as well? Hanabi had never exactly expressed resentment for her older sister, but they certainly didn't share the normal loving bond between most sisters. Hinata frowned sadly. Perhaps little Hanabi had taken pity on her older sister…that's right…now her little sister _pitied_ her…Hinata didn't know how this day could get any worse…

Seeing her downcast face, Shino nudged Kiba and gestured at her so he would see it too. Kiba frowned. "Hey, Hinata, what's with the sad face? It's your birthday, you should act happy!" Hinata nodded glumly.

Great…now she had gone and upset Kiba…he probably thought she was annoying…

Kiba sighed. There she went again, making herself feel even worse. He'd better get her mind off of whatever she was thinking about before she swallowed herself in self-contempt… "Hinata!" Hinata snapped out of her thoughts. "Let's go train now, okay?"

"Oh…uh, okay." Hinata nodded. "But where's Akamaru?"

"Hmm? Oh, he's just sniffing around in the well house. He said he smelled something funny in there," he replied off-handedly.

"He's where!" Hearing Hinata's horror, he turned to her questioningly.

"The well house. What's the big deal? The well's sealed anyway."

Hinata bit her lip anxiously. "This well house is forbidden. No one's allowed in there, so we could get in a lot of trouble with my father if he found out!"

Kiba snorted. "Whatever. He probably just told you that when you were a kid so your wouldn't go wandering around and fall in. And like I said, the well's sealed now anyway so you don't have to worry about bugs or whatever it is you're scared of crawling out of it." Shaking his head, Kiba walked towards the entrance. "C'mon, we'll just get Akamaru and go, your dad'll never know."

With that, he walked in, Hinata and Shino following in tow. "Shino, you look towards the right. I'll take the left. Hinata, you look in the middle by the well." They nodded and proceeded searching obediently.

As Hinata descended down the small flight of stairs to the well, she found that what Kiba had said was true¾the well really was sealed up. Sealed up very thoroughly in fact, with ofuda charms littering the wood planks nailed to the top. Why a sealing a well would require ofuda charms, she didn't know, but she guessed whoever had put them there had just been overly paranoid or something. She touched one curiously, and was surprised to see it turn to dust in her hand. It must've been very old, if not, very ineffective.

There was a bark behind her and she turned around to see Akamaru sitting at the bottom of the steps, his tail wagging happily. "Akamaru!" she picked him up and pet him, relieved to have found him so quickly. "Kiba, I've found him!"

"Really? Good work!" Kiba and Shino jumped down the stairs in response to her call, Kiba grinning arrogantly all the while.

"See? What'd I tell ya? Nothing happened!" He laughed loudly, glad to have been right. "Now let's get out of here before we get in trouble with your old man." Hinata nodded and moved forward towards the stairs.

Suddenly, Kiba's head shot back around towards the sealed well, nose and ears twitching. "What the fuck---?" The planks of wood closing off the mouth of the well blew off, and the three brought their arms up to shield their faces from the debris. Transparent, almost ghostly hands reached up out of the well towards them, and Kiba and Shino jumped back in horror. Hinata froze in fear, dropping Akamaru unceremoniously, who ran after Kiba with his tail between his legs.

"Hinata!" shouted Shino, as he realized she hadn't moved. The shout seemed to snap her out of her initial shock, and now she stumbled clumsily away from the wraithlike hands. She screamed as one and then another hand grabbed her, pulling her towards the well.

"HINATA!" both boys yelled this time in vain, both of them too far away to help her. It was too late, Hinata was already gone.

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A/N: Now, I know you guys might hear this a lot, but please, _please_ review! I _need_ them! This is only my second attempt at writing a Naruto fanfic, hell, a fanfic in general, so I need feedback. Constructive criticism, praise---whatever, so long as it's comments from you guys!

So review, and hopefully I'll see you next chapter!


	2. Who Overcame Time

A/N: Aaaand, Chapter 2! Yay, nine pages of editing! That's right…enjoy my hard labor…

Disclaimer: I have chapters 1-225 of the manga, 93 episodes, and 5 plushies. I'd call that some serious Naruto ownage.

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**Chapter 2: …Who Overcame Time…**

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Hinata struggled with all her strength against her captor's grasp despite not being able to see or hear Kiba and Shino anymore. In fact, Hinata couldn't see much anything around her except for a whole lot of color and bright light. This changed when she was spun around to be face to face with her demon kidnapper. Hinata started screaming all over again.

It was a woman…of sorts. More like a giant centipede with a woman's upper torso for a head, but definitely ugly like a centipede. It didn't help Hinata's first impression of her when a long slimy tongue shot of the demon's mouth and licked her.

_"Give it to me…!"_ it hissed at her.

Hinata continued to scream in response.

_"You have it…give it to me…the _jewel_…"_ Desperately, Hinata lashed out at her but to no avail.

"Byakugan!" she shouted, as she focused her chakra into her eyes and her palms. "Ha!" She struck the arms holding her, and watched as the centipede woman screamed in agony as her arms were rather messily detached from her body. Hinata's eyes widened. She'd only meant to make the woman let go, not tear her arms off---she hadn't even know the jyuuken style was capable of that! Hence calling it, "gentle"?

She stared at her hands as the demon floated from view and the colors and lights disappeared, soon finding herself sitting at the bottom of the well. "Please tell me I was just dreaming," Hinata whispered fearfully to herself. She looked up and squeaked when saw the severed arms of the centipede woman laying next to her. "I'm not dreaming…!" she whimpered tearfully.

There was a square of light above her which she assumed was the mouth of the well. "Kiba! Shino! Akamaru! Are you there?" she called hopefully. Perhaps they had gone for help… The well was too deep for her to jump out of, but she spotted some vines leading upwards, so she grabbed on and proceeded to climb out the hard way.

After a few minutes of labor, she reached the top and jumped out, dusting off her clothing after landing on her feet in the soft grass. Wait a second…GRASS? Hinata looked around incredulously, completely taken by the change of scenery. She was in a small, grassy clearing surrounded by dense forest on all sides. Hinata bit her lip nervously. This was obviously not her family's estate, but how had the well transported her somewhere else? Perhaps this was all just an elaborate illusion, a genjutsu or something?

Scanning for anything familiar, Hinata spotted an ancient tree towering over the rest of the foliage of the forest. If she hadn't been so stressed at the moment, Hinata would have laughed with happiness. It was the Goshinboku tree, just yesterday her father had been preaching about how old it was, so perhaps… What if her location hadn't changed, but the time had? Hinata shook her head to free herself of such thoughts. How ridiculous, who'd ever heard of putting a time jutsu on a _well_? Speaking of the well…

Hinata decided to put as much distance as possible between herself and the well, just in case the centipede lady decided to follow her out. Unsure of where else to go, she wandered in the direction of the Goshinboku, admiring the scenery on the way there. It was so calm here, and under different circumstances she was sure she would have love it here.

Finally, she came to the clearing where the Goshinboku was, and just when she thought nothing would surprise her after today's events, here she was standing in awe again. There, half-covered by huge vines, was a boy. If she hadn't realized that there was a huge kunai rammed through his heart, she would have thought he was asleep. He looked so…_peaceful_… She was pretty sure most people didn't look that good when they died, what with his wild blonde hair blowing in the wind and all…

Judging by the roots and vines covering him, he had probably been there for a long time, but for some reason he didn't look as if he had aged or decayed a day over fourteen. Moving closer, she hesitantly placed a hand on his cheek to check whether or not he was an illusion. Her hand met soft skin, almost to her disappointment. She'd been sure someone must've cast a genjutsu on his face to keep it looking so youthful, but her hands told her he was real. She pinched his cheek a bit, and growing braver, she stuck her fingers in the ends of his mouth and gave a good yank.

"Umm…excuse me," she asked timidly, while stretching his face in numerous positions, "but are you dead or alive?" She sighed when she received no response, but she'd expected as much. She was about to turn away when…

"You there! Freeze!" And freeze she did, as an arrow was planted a few inches from her head into the tree. "Who goes there? And what business do you have in the Kyuubi's forest?"

Hinata slowly turned around with her hands above her head to find herself completely surrounded. "I-I…umm…" she stuttered, much too preoccupied with sweating at the sight of their many weapons to bother making up a believable excuse. Not that she was any good at lying anyway…

"Look at his strange clothes," said one of them, pointing at her. Hinata sweat-dropped. Her clothes were _not_ strange…and what did he mean by "_his_"? Just when she had convinced herself she wasn't butt-ugly too…

"W-wait! You are mistaken!" she tried to explain anxiously. They could think her clothes were weird, but she certainly wasn't going to let them get her gender wrong! "I'm not a man, I'm a---!"

"Didja hear that! He said he wasn't human!" yelled the same man from earlier.

"What? Wait, no---!" Hinata's protests fell on deaf ears.

"That must mean he's a demon!"

"Yeah!"

"Let's kill him!"

"WAIT JUST ONE SECOND!" A man with a long scar running over his nose stepped forward towards Hinata and the tree. He apparently held a position of respect, judging by how quickly he had silenced the group of men. He looked her up and down, pausing when he saw her eyes. Hinata didn't really blame him---her eyes usually had that effect on people the first time around.

Finally breaking eye-contact, he turned back to the men. "You dimwits. That's not a demon---hell, that's not even a _boy._ Don't let the short hair and clothes confuse you, that's just an innocent little girl." He snorted in disbelief of his own men's stupidity. "Ah, well, you guys know the rules. We'll bring her back to the village---careful not to injure her. Especially not this girl, Kakashi-sama will definitely have an interest in her."

The men obediently complied, putting down their weapons and preparing to head back home. The man with the large scar turned back to her. "C'mon down from there, girl. You shouldn't touch him." He gestured at the boy and held a hand out to help her down. She didn't need his hand, but she accepted his help anyway.

"Umm…th-thank you for saving me." Hinata bowed low and formally, hoping to avoid offending him for touching the boy.

His serious expression disappeared under a bright smile in her direction. "That's all right, little lady. My name's Iruka. And you?" He asked kindly, as they began to walk on what she assumed to be a path to the village.

"H-Hinata," she said shyly.

"Hinata, huh? A pretty name for a pretty girl." She blushed deeply, but suddenly a horrible thought struck her. He said they were going to the village where he had been sure a man named Kakashi would have an _interest_ in her… Hinata grew even redder as she realized what kind of implications that might hold for her.

Iruka saw her steadily reddening face, and blushed a bit himself when he realized just what she had probably been thinking. "We're not bringing you to a brothel," he quickly reassured her. "Kakashi-sama likes the women, but strictly the women his own age."

Hinata let out the breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding. At least one thing hadn't turned out to be a complete disaster today…

"So, Hinata-san, might I ask where you're from? Your clothes are clearly not from this region," he asked, looking at her jacket and pants curiously. Looking around, Hinata realized everybody else around her, including Iruka, was wearing casual kimonos, the type worn in the old days by peasants that worked in the fields, and most of them were even barefoot. Suddenly, the idea of traveling back in time didn't seem so unreasonable…

"I'm from Konohagakure village," she responded simply.

Iruka looked suspicious. "Konohagakure, you're sure?"

"Yes, I was there at home just a couple of minutes ago…but then I got attacked, fell down a well, and…well…now everything looks different…" Hinata blushed again. "You must think I'm insane…even I'm having a hard time believing that story, it sounds so incredible…"

"Well, these are incredible times, Hinata-san; Incredible things are bound to happen sooner or later."

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As Hinata, Iruka, and the men entered the village, there was already a small crowd gathering to see the oddly-clothed stranger. Hinata assumed one of the men must have run ahead of them to tip off the villagers of their arrival.

"Make room everybody," called Iruka, clearing away some of the people to prevent Hinata from being smothered. "Where's Kakashi-sama?"

"He said he'd meet you by his hut!" replied one of the crowd.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, sir!"

Guiding Hinata towards the center of the village, he beckoned for her to take a seat under the shade of a small cherry blossom tree while he walked into the small hut closest to them. Hinata flinched as she heard the sound of Iruka cursing loudly coming from inside the hut.

"DAMN YOU, KAKASHI!" he roared, face red, as he stormed out of the hut. "He isn't in there," he barked at his men. "Split up and search for him!"

And hour later, Hinata fidgeted nervously as Iruka continued pacing and muttering under his breath. There was still no sign of "Kakashi-sama" and Hinata was starting to get a bit restless.

"Oh, Iruka. What are you doing here? Are you waiting for someone?" Iruka and Hinata looked up to see a tall, silver-haired man swaggering towards them casually, the small crowd parting to clear a path for him. The pulsing little vein in Iruka's forehead swelled.

"I WAS WAITING FOR _YOU_, YOU HALF-WIT!" Iruka bellowed.

Hinata's eyes widened. _This_ was Kakashi-sama? He didn't look all that strong or important, but Hinata guessed that might've been because of his very laid-back demeanor. He wasn't wearing anything special either---the only part of his outfit that set him apart from the other villagers was the skin-tight mask over the bottom half of his face, an extension of skin-tight shirt worn under his loose-fitting kimono. That and the fact that he wore an eye patch over his left eye.

"Really? Well, why were you waiting here?" Kakashi asked innocently, seemingly impassive to Iruka's shouts.

Iruka blustered incoherently for a few seconds, too furious to create a complete a sentence. "Y-you…_you_---!" He stomped his foot. "You told one of the villagers you'd meet me here at your hut!"

Kakashi laughed good-naturedly despite the murderous look on Iruka's face. "Oh, _that._ Really, Iruka, don't you know by now that 'I'll meet you by my hut' is code for 'I'm going to go take a nap down by the river'?"

Iruka had to be held back by a few of his men before he attempted to strangle Kakashi, muttering "I'll kill him, I'll kill him---I swear!" under his breath all the while.

"Please, Iruka-sama, not in front of the child," pleaded one of the men holding him back, nodding his head towards Hinata, who was looking thoroughly traumatized from her seat under the tree.

"Oh…right," he mumbled sheepishly, remembering why he had been waiting for Kakashi in the first place. "Sorry you had to see that," he apologized to her.

"Th-that's alright…" Judging by the unsurprised faces of the people in the crowd, Hinata had the feeling that this sort of thing happened very often between Iruka and Kakashi.

Kakashi seemed to have just noticed her, and as Iruka had said, it was clear that she really did interest him. "Stop staring and c'mon," snapped Iruka, shooing him into his hut and gesturing for her to follow.

There was a sigh of disappointment from the crowd---they were quite obviously upset about not being able to watch Kakashi and Iruka's antics anymore---but soon they began to disperse and go about their usual daily routine.

Hinata was not surprised to see that the hut was scarce in furniture---only a large chest, a few pots of rice and clean water, and a shallow hole in the middle of the elevated wooden floor, which she assumed was where they made a fire to cook with---but she _was_ awed at the sheer number of weaponry which covered the walls and hung from the ceiling. Swords, kunai, axes, and some she couldn't even identify; the hut definitely didn't exactly strike her as a child-friendly, and one thing was for sure, as she eyed Kakashi warily with newfound respect and just a little fear. This man was not only competent, but a fellow and potentially dangerous ninja.

"So, Iruka, gonna tell me who our lovely young visitor is?" said Kakashi, eyeing her curiously.

Iruka smiled at Kakashi's obvious interest. "Kakashi, this is Hinata-san. Hinata-san, this slacker is Hatake Kakashi."

"Iruka, you're so mean to me…" Kakashi sighed jokingly.

"It is my honor, Hatake-sama." Hinata bowed low and respectfully, making sure her forehead touched the ground in front of her.

"Hey, Iruka, how come you don't show respect for me like that?" Iruka's eye twitched.

"Because you don't deserve it, lazy," Iruka grunted.

"Umm…" Hinata started shyly.

The men stopped glaring at each other to give her their full attention. "Yes?"

"I-I was just wondering…just what is your job here in the village, Hatake-sama?" she asked innocently, trying hard not to stare at the weapons so as not to reveal the true nature of her question. Kakashi smiled kindly.

"Please, Hinata-chan, there's no need to be so formal. I'm just the village leader---the _hokage_ if you will."

"The _hokage_!" Hinata gasped. Kakashi and Iruka sweat-dropped as Hinata began bowing rapidly, a loud thump resounding through the room every time her forehead hit the floor.

"Hinata-san! Please stop! Don't go giving yourself a concussion!" Kakashi darted forward and grabbed her by the shoulders to stop her continuous bowing. "Iruka, get her some water, quickly!" he ordered, seeing her dazed expression.

"N-no…that's okay…I'm just fine, sir!" She slurred stubbornly, trying to sit up to prove there was no need to worry.

"Don't be ridiculous," Iruka scolded, handing her a cup of water. "Just take it easy. It's not all that important for you to be so formal to Kakashi."

"B-but, how can you talk to him on such an equal level when he has so much more authority than you or I?" Hinata stuttered anxiously.

Kakashi looked up at Iruka, raising an eyebrow. "That's a good question, Iruka…" Iruka's eye twitched again.

"Now's not the time, Kakashi…"

"Fine, fine… How about you call me something less formal than Hatake-sama, Hinata-san? Perhaps that would help you feel more comfortable around me?" Kakashi suggested.

"O-okay…" Hinata agreed shyly. Her father had always stressed the importance of being very respectful to those in positions of power, and as weird as it sounded, it was almost _exciting_ to try and be on familiar terms with a man of Kakashi's importance, and to some-what disobey her father's teachings.

"Right then, give it a try."

"Umm…Hatake-_san_?"

Kakashi waved a hand dismissively. "Still too formal."

"K-Kakashi…" she struggled to say, almost afraid to be anything less than formal, "…_sama_?"

"Good, good, just leave it at that," Kakashi announced, patting her on the head. "So, Hinata was it? Let's get down to business, ok? Iruka probably brought you to me for a reason," he looked towards Iruka, gesturing for him to start explaining.

"We found her in Kyuubi's forest earlier today when my men mistook her for a demon and tried to attack her," Iruka recited obediently. "Luckily, I intervened in time to stop them."

"I see," said Kakashi. "So just what were you doing in Kyuubi's forest, young lady?"

"J-just wandering around, really, until I umm…" She blushed uncertainly. "Until I saw the boy who was uh…_pinned_ to the tree..."

"So you've met Naruto, have you?" Hinata looked up confusedly.

"The kyuubi---the boy, Naruto," Kakashi explained. "No matter. He's not waking up anytime soon anyway, so there's no need for you to know much about him. He was sealed there by my older brother Neji, and no one can break Neji's jutsus." Kakashi smiled. "Well, half-brother, really---we had different fathers. As strange as it sounds, he looked a lot like you when he was your age. Now that I think about it, he _was_ kind of feminine looking… Anyway, he had the same eyes as you and everything."

Hinata looked up in surprise. Kakashi's brother had had the Hyuuga's Byakugan like she did? So that was why Iruka looked so startled when he saw her, and that was how he knew Kakashi would be immediately interested by her. "Really? Where is your brother now, Kakashi-sama?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Six feet under, by the shrine." Seeing Hinata's blank stare, he elaborated on his previous statement. "He's dead."

Hinata gasped and began bowing again, apologizing profusely for bringing up such a tender subject.

"Please, don't worry about it. He's been dead for twenty years now, so believe me when I say I've had more than enough time to grieve."

When Hinata continued bowing, Iruka finally intervened, placing a strong hand on top of her head to stop her before she could hurt herself.

"Hinata-san, how about you just tell Kakashi where you're from, alright?" suggested Iruka, with a worried look. The girl was going to give herself a concussion before the day was out if she kept that up…

"Oh…uhh…alright…" Hinata shook her head quickly to rid herself of her slight dizziness and continued. "I come from a village called Konohakagure," she stated simply.

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "Konohakagure? But, that's the name of _our_ village," he exclaimed, "and your clothes obviously do not match the style of our clothes!"

"But that can't be!" Hinata insisted. "The Konohakagure I come from is much bigger and prosperous than this little village! And my clothes are common in my hometown! Look!" Hinata pointed at the leaf-imprinted metal plate on the fore-head protector tied around her neck. "This is the symbol of my village!" Hinata bit her lip anxiously, growing very much distressed about her situation. "I-I wear this headband as proof that I am a proud ninja of my village!" She did her best to look as proud as she should have felt while Kakashi looked contemplative, and Iruka seemed just as stumped as ever.

"Hinata, what year is it in your village?" asked Kakashi, interrupting her troubled thoughts. Iruka caught the look in his eye and nodded slowly, beginning to understand just what Kakashi was thinking.

"I-It has been 550 years since our first Hokage founded our village." Hinata answered. "Why?"

"I think we've found our answer," said Iruka calmly. "Hinata-san, I believe you mentioned a well earlier to me?"

Hinata nodded in affirmation. "Yes, that's how I got here in the first place. I was standing near the mouth of an old, sealed well on my family's estate, when a monster from inside it attacked me and dragged me down it. I broke free though, and suddenly found myself at the bottom of the well just on the edge of the forest you found me in."

"The bone-eater's well?" Iruka pressed.

"I-I don't know what the well is called…"

"It most likely was, that's the only dried-up well around here that fits that description."

"Hinata," Kakashi interjected, "I have always suspected there was something _strange_ about the bone-eater's well, but never anything quite like this. If what you're saying is true, then you, Hinata, have been transported---by means of the well---back in time."

He ran his hand through his hair impulsively, as if he himself was having a hard time absorbing this information. Hinata was beyond words now… How had her simple life been turned upside down in such a short time?

"525 years in the past, to be exact," Kakashi continued. "It has been only twenty-five years since our first hokage founded this village---Neji was this village's first hokage." He sighed. "Well, that's one mystery solved. Now to answer mystery number two…"

Now Hinata was really confused. What did he mean by mystery number two? There was _more_?

"Hinata-chan, what is your family name?" Kakashi asked eagerly.

"H-Hyuuga. My full name is Hyuuga Hinata."

"I knew it!" cried Kakashi excitedly, holding up a hand for Iruka to high-five enthusiastically. "I'm _good!_"

Hinata squirmed uncomfortably, feeling very much left-out. "Umm…I'm afraid I don't understand…" she said glumly over the animated shouts from Kakashi and Iruka.

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan!" reassured Kakashi happily, patting her on the back cheerfully. "Can I call you that? Good!" Hinata sweat-dropped. She hadn't actually had the chance to say yes or no… "It's nothing bad! We just reaffirmed our suspicions that you are connected to my brother Neji somehow---in this case, you're actually related!"

"Huh?" She stared at him blankly.

"Well you see, judging by the fact that you two probably would have looked more like siblings than he and I ever did, and the fact that you share the same surname, it is more than likely that you are a descendent of Neji's," Kakashi explained. "The only thing is, I don't exactly remember my brother getting attached to very many people, much less women, and he never wandered into the brothels as far I know… So if anything, you're probably a direct descendent of the brother of Neji---_me_!" Kakashi laughed delightedly. "Isn't that funny? I bet you never dreamed you'd be able to meet your ancestor!"

"B-But, why don't I have your surname?" Hinata asked hesitantly, not wishing to upset him.

"Hmm…that's a good question. Guess I better change my family name now, huh?" He laughed again, completely unfazed. "Iruka, tell the villagers that starting tomorrow I'm _Hyuuga_ Kakashi!"

"I doubt most of the villagers knew your surname was Hatake in the first place, Kakashi," replied Iruka jokingly. "Everyone here just knows you as Kakashi-sama anyway."

"You drive a good argument, Iruka! Which makes it all the more easy for you to change my surname!" He turned back to Hinata. "Don't worry, Hinata-chan, however long you're with us, I'll be sure to take good care of you! We'll find a way to send you home soon, but for now, we celebrate!" He wiped away a tear of mirth. "I just found out I'm a father…well, great-great-great-great-you get the point-grandfather, but if it ends with father, it's good enough for me!"

Hinata sweat-dropped. What strange people… how had her strict family been founded by such a care-free leader? Hinata shrugged the thought away---hey, she wasn't arguing. She rather liked Kakashi-sama, she decided, and Iruka-san. She would be happy here…for now…

* * *

A/N: Done! Next chapter will be out by next week! Till then, take the time to review (please!) and have fun reading some questions and answers about the fic below. They're probably all on your minds (considering _you_ asked them)…

1.) Why Kakashi as Kaede?

(scratches head) Eh, heh…actually the only original reason was because both of them wore some sort of eye-patch over their left eye. However, after I assigned Neji as Kikyo, I remembered something Kakashi had said during the Chuunin exam---that the sharingan ability had probably originated from the lower-branches of the Hyuuga clan. So with Kakashi and Neji as half-brothers, Kakashi would carry in him the potential for the Byakugan (from his mother) and the Sharingan (which is his alone at the moment--but we don't know that yet in the story).

2.) How often will you update?

Whenever I can?

3.) Wouldn't Kiba make a better Kouga?

(ponders) OMG, I actually hadn't even thought about Kouga yet…hmm, I guess he _would_ have made a good one though. What I was actually going for with Kiba was for him to be a "Hojo"-type role… But close enough, eh? Don't worry, Kiba may be left behind but he'll still play his part (coughNEXTCHAPTERcough).

4.) If Neji is Kikyo and Naruto is Inuyasha, then were those two lovers at some point?

Ummm no. All will be explained in due time.

And that's all for now, guys. Don't forget to review! Lots of humor in the next chapter, so look forward to it!


	3. And the Boy

A/N: Chapter 3 time! Extra long (10 pages!)…just don't expect all the chapters to be this lengthy. (sighs) I admit, I always think the longer the chapter is the better but it's just too much to write all the time. So just enjoy it for now and don't complain when I only turn up 5 pages or so.

With that out of the way, may the action begin!

Now _questions_ will be DESTROYED…by _answers_!

1.) Is this yaoi? (glare)

Ok, ok, I can't keep it to myself any longer. No, this story is not yaoi (soon to be proven by Naruto himself), but you will have to wait to learn the reality of Naruto and Neji's pasts. It's not that I'm homophobic or anything (to any of the people out there who were hoping for yaoi), I mean, power to the homosexuals out there, but this story will not feature any male on male action. Cuz c'mon people, be realistic, NONE of them are gay. That's just the way it is. Oh, and I might as well mention I don't write lemons either. I dislike smut like that.

2.) Who's (insert Naruto character here)? Can they be (insert Inuyasha character here)?

I'm not telling. (wink) So there.

3.) Why didn't Hinata recognize Kakashi, Iruka, or Naruto!

Uh…in case you didn't notice, do you remember that little "AU" in summary of this fic? Well, AU stands for Alternate Universe, meaning this world is different from the original Naruto world. In this case, it means that Hinata exists in a time without Naruto or Kakashi or Iruka. Without many people, actually. But fear not, most of them will take their rightful places in the past.

NOW ON WITH THE STORY!

Disclaimer: Ummm…no.

* * *

**Chapter 3: And the Boy…**

* * *

Kiba continued pacing the length of the well house as he had been for the last five hours. There was still no sign of Hinata or the monster that had dragged her down the well, and even Akamaru couldn't catch even the slightest scent of her in the near area. 

"Kiba, you're making me dizzy." Kiba spun around to glare at Shino, who in turn, only stared back through his tinted glasses in his normal indifferent demeanor.

"How can you be so calm!" Kiba snapped angrily. "HINATA JUST GOT FREAKIN' EATEN!"

A brief look of concern flashed in Shino's eyes, but he remained calm for both his sake and Kiba's. "Look Kiba, we don't know where the hell she disappeared off to, so there's nothing we can do. Your ceaseless pacing isn't helping the matter either." Shino sighed when Kiba refused to look him in the face. "For all we know, she might just come back out again."

Kiba seemed to perk up a bit. "…You're sure?"

Shino shrugged.

Kiba seemed to take this as a positive answer though, as a cocky grin soon replaced his uncharacteristically depressed mood. "Of course! You're right, Hinata'll come out for sure! We just need to wait for her a little longer that's all!" he exclaimed confidently.

Shino sweat-dropped. It seemed as if dogs like him were easily comforted…

Kiba stopped grinning for a moment as a thought occurred to him, and soon his bad mood seemed to be coming over him once more.

"Hey, Shino…?"

"Hm?"

"Um…what are we gonna tell her dad?"

Shino felt his blood chill. The boys remained silent for a good minute before Akamaru interrupted their thoughts with a small bark.

"Hey, yeah… Shino, Akamaru thinks we should just make up a story. You know, just to cover for her till she gets back, so her dad doesn't get mad at her…" Kiba forced a cough that sounded distinctly like "or us."

Shino pondered this possibility to himself. Option one, they tell the big man what happened and get beaten to a bloody pulp. Option two, they lie for all their worth and at least get a few days head start before her father inevitably beat them to a bloody pulp.

"Sounds good."

------------------------------

The hours passed, and the sun began to set on the horizon by the time Hinata put down her empty bowl. It turned out Iruka was quite the chef---which probably explained why Kakashi was more or less tolerant of his constant nagging---and he had cooked them up a storm of delicious dishes for supper in honor of Kakashi's entrance into fatherhood…of sorts.

Hinata yawned widely, the face-paced events of the day beginning to take their toll on her body. All she really wanted right now was to go to sleep, but at the same time she didn't. What if she were to wake up and find it had all been a wonderful dream? She didn't think she could bear it if Kakashi, Iruka, and even the Naruto-boy pinned to the tree were just figments of her imagination.

Seeing her obvious exhaustion, Iruka elbowed Kakashi and gestured to her. Kakashi got the point, and went to grab a futon from the corner of the room. "Hinata-chan," he called, snapping her out of her sleep-filled thoughts, "would you like to sleep here in my hut tonight? We can figure out a way to get you back home in the morning after you've gotten some rest."

Hinata was about to agree whole-heartedly before she noticed he was only laying out one futon. "B-but, if you only have one futon, where will you sleep?" she asked shyly. He had already treated her so kindly and given her a wonderful meal, she couldn't just go and steal his bed now too! Kakashi laughed at her concern.

"No need to worry. I have another in my chest over there; I just didn't get it out because I'm not ready to retire just yet," he assured her.

"Oh…ok then," she accepted the futon shyly, placing her neatly folded jacket and open-toed boots to the side, and quickly fell asleep without a second thought---curled up tightly in a little ball under Kakashi's sheets.

Kakashi exited the hut and took a seat under the cherry tree next to Iruka. "Funny that she should arrive today, of all days," started Iruka. "Exactly on the day of the twenty-fifth anniversary."

Kakashi only grunted in response, already seemingly in deep thought.

Iruka decided it was safe to continue. "It makes you wonder why _she_ came here of all people. I don't think just anyone could have fallen down that well and ended up in this time. And why this time? Do you think…?"

"Fate doesn't exist, Iruka," Kakashi cut in.

Iruka smiled to himself. "I suppose not. We control our own futures… and maybe that's why she's here. Such an insecure girl like that---she needs to learn she can control her future as well…"

"Iruka, did you notice something…_off_ about her earlier?" Iruka looked up, surprised at the sudden change of topic, before a look of realization fluttered across his face.

"I'm guessing you're referring to when she got overly embarrassed or worked-up about something?"

Kakashi nodded.

"In that case, of course I noticed. How couldn't I…it was exactly like _his_…"

"But how…?" Kakashi frowned in obvious confusion. "It made sense with Naruto, but for her chakra to be that way? It's not possible unless she's not telling us something."

Iruka shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think she knows. Hinata-san doesn't seem like the kind of person that can keep a secret very well. Besides, did you notice how separated it felt from her normal chakra? She hasn't been able to tap into that other power yet---probably because she hasn't been trained to. The people of her time must not realize the other power is there as well, and so they haven't taught her to use it." Iruka paused to think. "It must make chakra manipulation difficult for her. Her low self-esteem, her lack of any confidence, it all adds up to that."

Kakashi remained silent.

"It must have been hard for her, in her own world that is," Iruka continued. "Did you notice how well-mannered she was? The Hyuuga's have probably become a powerful clan in her time. Imagine, growing up in such a high-ranking clan, but having trouble doing something everyone else around you has an easy time with."

Kakashi continued staring at the dirt at his feet. "She acts like a beaten dog," he said sadly. Iruka silently agreed. People could be so cruel sometimes…and the partially-living testament to that was pinned to a certain tree in the forest…

"Such a sweet girl forced to live though that…it makes you kinda wish you could keep her…"

Kakashi looked up, determination in his visible eye. "No, she has to go eventually," Iruka looked disappointed at this, "but that doesn't mean she can't come back." Iruka looked up again, hope returning to his face.

"Really?"

Kakashi smiled. "If she could make it here in the first place, she can probably do it again. Maybe not permanently, we won't force her to abandon her family, but something tells me that we could do a much better job harnessing Hinata's potential than the people of her time can. You can never have enough family, even if one is in a different time period. Besides, I was starting to get used to the idea of having a great-great-great-great-you get the point-daughter. Like I said earlier, if it ends with daughter, it's good enough for me."

Iruka chuckled a bit to himself, clearly amused at the situation. They had only met this girl a couple hours ago, but she had already managed to work her way into both of their hearts. Letting her go was just out of the question…

The peaceful silence around them was suddenly shattered by a ear-piercing scream. Kakashi and Iruka immediately leapt to their feet, looking in the direction of the many shouts and crashes which followed the first. A huge centipede demon was attacking the village, and the two men jumped back as a headless horse was thrown in their direction by the demon.

"Give it to me," it snarled, as it grabbed a random man from the panicking group of villagers running away from it. It bit the man's arm off with gusto, throwing the man aside, it's bloodlust evidently not yet satisfied. "The jewel…it's here! I can smell it!" It let out a roar of frustration, snatching out at the villagers once again. "Give it to me! The shikon will be mine! The shikon no tama!"

Kakashi's visible eye widened, and he met Iruka's gaze with an identical look of shock and confusion. Kakashi spun around to look at his hut, his mind racing. That second source of power within her…it couldn't be!

Hinata awoke with a start at the sound of the screams outside the hut. Jumping to her feet, she hurried outside without her coat and boots, too worried to care. Kakashi and Iruka were standing directly in front of her by the cherry blossom tree, staring at the hut in what looked like bewilderment. She looked left and right, confused as to what was wrong.

"K-Kakashi-sama? Iruka-san? What's wrong---?" Hinata took a few steps towards them but Kakashi threw up his arms in a stopping motion.

"No! Wait, don't! Stay inside!" he yelled to her, but it was too late. Hinata turned at the sound of another shout, and she involuntarily screamed when she caught sight of the centipede demon from earlier. The centipede in turn, circled around towards her, immediately recognizing her from the well.

"You have it! The shikon no tama!" It charged at her, and she froze, her body refusing to obey her panicked thoughts. "Give it to me!"

The centipede was sent sprawling to the side as it received a powerful blow to the head from Kakashi, and Hinata suddenly found herself on the roof of a nearby building, Iruka holding her close.

"Iruka!" Kakashi shouted as he assaulted the demon with another devastating kick. It hit a close by building with a huge crash, the building's foundation collapsing on impact. The demon itself looked unharmed though---it seemed it would take more than a little effort to defeat this monster.

"Get her out of here---quickly!" Kakashi yelled them over the din. Hinata's eyes widened. So the monster really was just after her…why, she didn't know. But she did know one thing---it was her fault the centipede demon was in the village and destroying everything in it's path. She knew she couldn't let this continue, she had to lead the demon out of the village somehow…

Iruka gasped in surprise and let go of Hinata as she began to power up her Byakugan. "Hinata-san! Wait!" he called after her as she jumped off the roof and landed a few yards away from the demon.

"Hinata! Run! What're you doing!" Kakashi shouted before he was hit by one of the centipede woman's many hands. Hinata winced. It was her fault he'd been distracted…but there was still time…she could help---she needed to help!

"Uh, umm!" Hinata stuttered pathetically, despite trying to sound brave. "L-leave them alone!" The demon took one glance at her and immediately attacked.

Hinata dodged the strike and began to do what she guessed every hero should do in that situation---she ran. Squealing as she evaded the centipede's attacks using her Byakugan, she ran down the dirt road in the middle of the village as fast as her tiny legs could take her.

"Hinata-san!" Hinata could see Iruka running alongside her on the rooftops with her Byakugan, and it was clear by the many weapons he was holding that he was going to try to stop the demon here.

"Iruka-san, wait!" she shouted to him, avoiding another of the centipede-woman's attempts to grab her. "Not here! I'm leading her out of the village into the forest so she won't destroy anything else! Tell Kakashi-kun! Set up a trap!" she called anxiously. He nodded, and she sighed in relief when she saw him leap off ahead of her, hopefully to set up a trap as she had specified.

She was getting tired, but she kept up the Byakugan and running/dodging, knowing other people's lives were on the line, never mind her. She finally reached the tree line and promptly took to the branches, years of ninja training coming to good use for her as she leapt from limb to limb quickly and stealthily. Growing up in forests had its advantages, she decided, as she realized she had gained a little distance from the demon. She only had five minutes before it would catch up to her again. Hopefully, she could find Kakashi and Iruka in time so she wouldn't have to keep running like this…

Hinata powered down her Byakugan, deciding to give her eyes a break, and promptly tripped and fell face first into the ground. She whimpered into the dirt. Her day just kept on getting better and better didn't it?

"Heh, heh! You sure look stupid with your face in the dirt, kid!" Hinata looked up at the sound of the new voice, and found herself gaping at a certain boy who was supposed to be quite dead. _Especially_ since he still had a huge kunai stabbed through his heart.

"Y-you---!" Hinata stuttered weakly, still shocked that he had actually spoken. She wasn't hallucinating was she? How could he be awake! That kunai in him was no toothpick!

The boy cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "NEJI!" he yelled in obvious shock as well. He looked confused. "When did you cut your hair!" He glanced at her full body as she stood and began to approach him cautiously. His blue eyes widened in horror. "Better question---when the hell did you grow tits!"

Hinata face-vaulted into the ground. He could clearly see her more…_feminine_ attributes and he still thought she was this man named Neji! Could he really be that dense!

Apparently, he was. "Ugh!" he grimaced in disgust. "I knew it! I knew you were always weird but this is pushing it, man!" He blanched. "Oh god! And I used to take baths with you! What if you were checking me out! And little Kakashi! That's just _wrong_!" He let out another anguished howl. "I had respect for you! If you think you can stab me and then walk off and grow some boobs to avoid our fight, you're sadly mistaken! As soon as I get down from here…!" His face squinted in concentration, as if he was struggling to get free, but the rest of his body didn't move.

He blinked, still confused. "Hey, why does my face hurt?" he pushed his tongue around his mouth to massage his cheeks. He looked at her suspiciously. "You don't have anything to do with that, do you?" he growled at her through grinding teeth.

Hinata blanched, remembering how she had pulled on his cheeks to see if he was real or not. "N-n-no!" she lied hastily, realizing he wouldn't be too happy if he found out she had.

He snorted to himself. "You better not have, pervert!"

Hinata was about ready to drop dead in embarrassment. First he thought she was a guy, now he thought she was a pervert? She could not allow this disillusionment to continue. "Um, excuse me?" she started shyly, moving closer. "You are mistaken. I am not Neji. My name's Hinata."

Naruto squinted at her. "Huh?"

"I said my name's Hinata. Hi-na-ta!" she repeated.

"What are you talking about? Of course you're Neji! Stop trying to pull cheap tricks to get out of our fight!" Hinata sweat-dropped. This guy was just too much…

"No, I'm not! For one, Neji was a man! I am female!" She gestured at her chest. "I don't think Neji-sama had any of these." Naruto proceeded to scrutinize her chest as if to check if they were real, much to her further embarrassment.

"Umm…are you done…?" she asked shyly, her face as red as a fire-hydrant.

He looked up at her face, his sharp blue eyes piercing her blank ones as if searching for one final piece of evidence. At long last, he looked away, seemingly a little bit disappointed. "The boobs _are_ pretty convincing…" Hinata thought her head would explode from all the blood rushing to it. "So I guess you really aren't Neji…for now…"

Hinata sweat-dropped again. So did he think she would just suddenly turn into Neji at any given moment?

These thoughts left her though, as a large roar interrupted both of their trains of thought. They both looked up to see the centipede demon crashing into small clearing surrounding the Goshinboku tree Naruto was pinned to.

Hinata yelped in surprise when suddenly hundreds of kunai and shuriken flew out of the trees in the surrounding area towards the demon. Most of them hit home, and the demon shrieked in pain. "No! The jewel! I must have the shikon first!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he turned to glare at Hinata. "You have the jewel!" Hinata only blinked in confusion. What jewel were these guys talking about? Apparently, Naruto seemed convinced she had it now. "Give it to me!" he ordered her harshly. "Give me that goddamn jewel or I swear, girl or not, I'll kick your ass to hell and back!"

"What---!" Hinata was cut off as the wounded demon charged at her despite its numerous injuries.

"Hinata!" she thought she heard Kakashi shout as the demon tossed her into the air easily and sunk its teeth into her left hip. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound came out; instead she stared as the blood began to pour out of the gash on her side. For a moment, all the sound around her seemed muffled, and her fall to the ground appeared to her to grow slower. She watched in slow motion as a round, glowing jewel emerged from her wound and fell with her onto the grass in a puddle of her own blood.

She gasped with pain on impact; the wound on her hip was shallow but enough to cause her a _whole_ lot of discomfort… Seeing the demon heading in her direction again, she instinctively grabbed the jewel before she was slammed forwards into the Goshinboku tree. She was surprised to feel the blow cushioned by a body, and she looked up at Naruto who looked none-too-happy about her smashing directly into him.

"M-move your elbow…!" he gasped, as she quickly lifted her arm, finding herself quite embarrassed again for elbowing him straight in the family jewels. She suddenly found herself gasping for breath as well, as she realized the centipede demon had wrapped itself around the tree and was trying to slowly squeeze her to death. She let out a cry of pain as it squeezed harder, and her trapped hand dropped the jewel.

The demon quickly snatched it up in its jaws and swallowed it, and Hinata looked on in horror as the woman-like torso of the demon began to regenerate the arms Hinata torn off in the well and shed its pale skin, becoming bigger and more hideous by the moment.

"See what happens when you don't give the shikon to me first?" Naruto scolded stubbornly. Hinata was surprised. He sounded very casual for someone who was being squeezed to death… "Hey, what's-your-face," he called to her impatiently.

Hinata struggled to look up at him. "I-it's Hinata, remember?" she corrected yet again.

"Yeah, Hinata, whatever. Do you think you can pull this out?" He gestured at the kunai running through his heart and her free hand which was currently clutching his orange and black kimono.

"If you pull it out, I'll be free from the spell that's sealing me here," he explained. Hinata considered this for a moment…did this mean he had never really died all the time he'd been here?

"Hinata, don't!" Hinata activated her Byakugan and used it to see Kakashi and Iruka and his men still throwing spears and daggers at the transforming torso of the centipede. "You must not release him!" Kakashi jumped back and cursed as he dodged an attack from the demon. At this rate it might be too late…maybe she should release him, but just in case… Kakashi slid up the eye-patch over his left eye and reached into his kimono for his rosary beads, feeling prepared for the worst.

Naruto snorted. "At the rate these guys are going, you'll die before they kill it. They can't go full power at it since you're so close to it and you'll just get destroyed too. But," he looked down at her, "if you free me, I can get rid of it for you." Hinata looked hesitant, and broke her gaze as she winced in pain from the pressure on her wound. This didn't look good for her…

"How do you know I can pull it out? I thought this was supposed to be a powerful seal," Hinata questioned, looking very much torn.

"You've got the same eyes as Neji. You can be just as good as him if you tried." Hinata looked away; someone should tell that to her father…

If she freed him, then what? He'd destroy the demon and for all she knew, would try to destroy her too. If she didn't free him, she'd die and the Kakashi and Iruka would have no reason to hold back anymore---they could destroy the demon and everyone would be safe. Of course, the second option held more promise for everyone else and was definitely more logical in her opinion, but something inside her couldn't bear the thought of this boy having to remain here any longer.

What if he never got a chance like this ever again? Would he just fall asleep like before, for forever? But he was so young, even he deserved to live his life to the fullest---to cut his life short like this was just cruel and she knew she wouldn't be able to bear that responsibility. _And I have that right to live as well…_something whispered to her in her mind.

Determination flashed in her eyes, and she met Naruto's gaze unflinchingly. "I-I…I don't want to die," she told him simply. "And it would be unfair to force that same fate upon you." He nodded in understanding. Reaching up, she grabbed the handle of the kunai with her free right hand as Kakashi, Iruka, and the villagers could only watch. Hinata clenched her teeth, focusing all the chakra she had into that hand and into the kunai, to try to break the seal from the inside out. And slowly, she began to pull.

Naruto felt his body seize up as the kunai was drawn from the tree, and he gasped in pain. Hinata continued though, which he was glad for, since he wanted this done as quickly as possible. She gave one last powerful heave, and in a bright flash, the kunai crumbled into dust in her fist.

Everything in the surrounding area was covered in a smothering veil of silence as all heads turned to the small pulsing figure being squeezed into the tree. Hinata stared at the boy in awe. _Such chakra…_

The quiet was broken by the loud laugh of Naruto as he flexed one his arms, reveling in the ability to move again. "All right!" He flexed all of his muscles this time, and Hinata yelped as she found herself thrown away from him, landing next to large clumps of the centipede's body. Even without her Byakugan activated, Hinata could see the boy was literally glowing with a surplus of chakra, whirling around him in the air as if he was on fire.

Naruto turned towards the demon, cracking his knuckles with a cocky grin on his face. "I think it's about time you spit out that jewel, ugly," he taunted arrogantly, moving his hands to form a seal. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" There were cries of surprise from the on-looking villagers as at least twenty clones of him appeared in the trees and surrounding area, and Hinata realized in alarm that these were no ordinary shadow clones---these were made of real flesh and bones.

The demon's eyes darted around, obviously confused by this newcomer's arrival. "No mere half-breed could defeat me! I have the shikon no tama!" it roared in vain.

The group of Naruto's snorted. "Tch. Like I _care_." The original Naruto raised his hand and smirked. "I'm still gonna kick your ass!"

Kakashi sweat-dropped. That arrogance, and that big mouth of his…he truly hadn't aged a day…

Naruto and the shadow clones surged forward, and before Hinata could even comprehend what was happening, the centipede woman fell under a flurry of fists and kicks. Hinata brought her arms up to her face, instinctively guarding against the rough winds generated by the sheer power radiating off the boy. The amount of raw energy being produced by him was insane, it was incomprehensible, it was uncontrollable…even for him it seemed.

Even while whaling away at the demon, Naruto seemed to be struggling with himself---as if the power he possessed was not entirely under his control. The moment was cut short though, and as the original Naruto flinched when his hand was burned by his own chakra (something Hinata hadn't thought to be possible till then), the demon took advantage of his hesitation and landed a solid blow to his head with it's tail. Naruto flew across the clearing---his clones disappearing with a pop---landing roughly in the branches of a nearby tree.

"I guess that's my cue," said Kakashi as he leapt forward to take over. "Iruka!"

"On it!" Iruka dove towards the demon brandishing a huge shuriken, which he immediately launched at the demon's head.

It dodged, losing one of its arms in the process, spitting a fireball out of its mouth at Iruka's feet in retaliation. It seemed as if the jewel had already begun giving it new, stronger powers.

It charged at him, straight into Kakashi's trap.

"Thanks for the trick, kid!" he called to the dazed Naruto while his hands formed a familiar seal. "Kage Bushin no Justu!"

Now twenty flesh and bone copies of Kakashi sprang into action, and a couple downward slashes later, the centipede demon laid in literal pulsing pieces.

"Hinata-chan!" Kakashi yelled to her, snapping her out of her initial shock. He landed in front of her, winking with his now uncovered left-eye. "Would you mind locating that jewel the demon ate with your Byakugan? We need to get it out of the demon before it begins to regenerate."

"O-Ok!" She clumsily stumbled to her feet, sweeping her now chakra-filled eyes across the numerous lumps of flesh and bone. She easily caught sight of the jewel---the thing was practically glowing---and she rushed over to remove it from the centipede corpse. As soon as it had been separated from the demon's flesh, the tissue began to dissolve, leaving only the skeleton of the monster behind.

Hinata gulped. Well, that had certainly been gross…

She involuntarily shuddered as Iruka and Kakashi approached her, but winced as she remembered the wound in her side. _That's right…that's where the jewel came from…_ She stared at the jewel in awe as she realized she had had this…this _thing_ inside her the whole time---her entire life come to think of it! She had thought she'd been dizzy from the blood loss, but this new realization made her swoon a bit into Kakashi's ready arms.

"Take it easy there, Hinata-chan. You've been through a lot today; let's just get you back to the village so we can take a look at those wounds…" _And that jewel_… Kakashi thought privately to himself.

"The girl ain't goin' nowhere," interrupted Naruto, as he strutted forward, having clearly recovered from his various injuries. He smirked. "Or at least, the jewel isn't."

Hinata had the vague feeling that someone, somewhere, really, _really_, hated her…

* * *

A/N: And we're done with Chapter 3! Sorry, to cut you guys off there, but suspense is a wonderful thing isn't it? But anyway, if you want more, just don't forget to **review** please! C'mon guys, I got nearly twice as much in my first chapter than in the last one…! (pouts) Reviews are food for the writer's soul…not that I'm much of a writer… 

So I'll see you next week hopefully, eh? Check my author's page for updates!


	4. Who Was Overcome

A/N: Ok, so I finally got by butt into gear and decided to give a crack at Chapter 4. Hopefully, it's up to standards with everyone.

I'd just like to take this time to make it clear that yes, I know how to spell Neji now…it's just sheer habit to start typing "g" instead of "j".

(silence)

Ok, yeah, that's a lame excuse, even I'll admit it. (sighs) Eh, I'll get it eventually.

No other errors though, right? 'Cept for maybe the occasional run-on sentence. I'd say that's pretty good…especially considering the rather low standard set for grammar and spelling that I've noticed here in the Naruto section of Sorry Naruto fans, but I must admit, the Inuyasha fans have a certain higher degree of…_expectation_ when it comes to their fan fiction. Lol, that must sound so stupid… But it has some truth to it. I mean, look at Rozefire (everyone who's actually reading this---go out and read her fics right now. You won't regret it). She didn't get that popular by writing shi---err, 'scuze my french--badly structured stories.

Right…I think I'll stop shamelessly plugging other people's stuff now and get on with the story. TT Please don't hate me for that…

Disclaimer: A brownie for anyone who actually thinks I'm smart/talented enough to actually create Inuyasha or Naruto. You're too kind if you honestly do believe so…and stupid. Definitely stupid.

P.S. My apologies---this chapter is unforgivably short…but Broadway shows and regular visits to the nursing home decided to take a big bite out of my schedule so I had about 2 hours max to write this. (sweat-drop)

****

Chapter 4: …Who Was Overcome

Hinata really wanted to start running her ass off right then and there. Naruto was eyeing her and the jewel in her fist dangerously, and only the fact that Kakashi was standing next to her kept her in one spot.

"Now, now, Naruto, no need to be like that. We don't want to have to resort to violence," Kakashi reasoned.

Naruto shot him a confused look. "Who the hell are you supposed to be? And how do you know who I am?"

Kakashi looked unfazed as he continued to try and stare him down with his mis-matched eyes. "I thought you would have recognized the sharingan, but I guess I was wrong." He sighed. "The fact remains though, that right now you are threatening Hinata-chan, and we can't have that now can we? I'll give you one last chance. Are you going to back down or not?"

Naruto grinned in response. "Hell no." He made to leap past Kakashi, but the silver haired man was too fast, and Naruto was pulled back as the rosary Kakashi had slid over his neck threatened to choke him.

"Quickly, Hinata-chan! Call out a word of submission!" Kakashi yelled to her, struggling to hold back the thrashing boy by the glowing beads around his neck.

"What? But I don't know any!" she protested weakly.

"Anything will do, but you must stop him quickly!" he shouted desperately. "I can't hold him like this for much longer!"

Hinata was feeling more confused and terrified now than ever in her entire life. How could she help if she didn't even understand what he wanted?! "B-but---!"

Her hesitation was long enough, and Naruto broke free with from Kakashi's grip with another blast of chakra which sent the silver-haired hokage flying. Naruto charged at her, and for the second time that night, Hinata felt as if she was watching the scene unfold in slow-motion.

This boy just had saved her life…and now he was threatening to take it away. She had no choice but to defend herself, but she couldn't help feeling guilty about it at the same time. Was this how she repaid her savior?

She raised her hands in a defensive position, prepared to take him down if that was what it came to. He drew back his fist, obviously willing strike her. _Here it comes…_ "I'M SORRY!" she cried out to him, as she moved to attack him as well.

BAM!

"Well that was interesting," said Kakashi, as he picked himself off the ground and saw what had happened.

Naruto laid in a small crater in the shape of his body, his face firmly planted into the ground. The rosary that had been placed around his neck by Kakashi glowed, and Hinata stared at him in alarm.

"D-did I do that?!"

Naruto struggled to pick himself off the ground, and glared at the her and the rosary in bewilderment. "What the hell---?! What did you do to me, you bitch?!"

Hinata whimpered in distress. "I didn't mean to! Oh, I'm so sorry!" Naruto's face hit the ground again and the crater he had created got a little deeper. "No! Ah! I'm sorry! I---!"

"Hinata-chan, you may want to stop saying that if you want him to be able to get back up again," advised Kakashi, now approaching her.

Hinata let out another distraught whimper. "Stop saying what?"

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Hinata winced as she saw Naruto slam deeper into the dirt.

"YOU BITCH! STOP DOIN' THAT!"

"Sorry!"

BAM!

"Augh!"

Kakashi seemed to be the only one who found the situation quite amusing, and he chuckled to himself at the blonde's expense.

"WHAT THE HELL'S SO FUNNY?!" Naruto roared as he finally dragged himself out of his little crater. He tugged at the rosary beads around his neck, but they began to glow again and refused to be lifted over his head.

"I'm afraid only I can remove those, Naruto," Kakashi advised as Naruto continued to pull at them stubbornly.

"THEN TAKE THEM OFF!"

Kakashi shot him a dry glance. "Well that would defy the whole purpose of putting them on, now wouldn't it?"

Naruto growled and Hinata could feel his chakra beginning to rise to dangerous levels again. "YOU THINK YOU CAN CONTROL ME, HUH?!" He took a step forward and Hinata blanched as the ground began to break beneath his foot. "WELL I'LL SHOW YOU! NO ONE CAN STOP ME!"

"Hinata," Kakashi started calmly, his red-eye still trained on Naruto, "would you please apologize for me?"

Hinata blinked. "I'm sorry?"

BAM!

Naruto ate dirt again, and Kakashi used the distraction to jab him in the back of the head in a very familiar stance.

Hinata's eyes widened. There was no way…could he…?

This time, Naruto stayed down until Kakashi casually threw the boy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Iruka!" Iruka appeared next to Kakashi at the sound of his call, and Kakashi slid his eye patch back over his red left eye. "Gather the men. We need to head back to the village immediately to assess the damage now that the threat has been eliminated."

Hinata watched the now unconscious Naruto as he began to snore from his seemingly uncomfortable position. Somehow, it occurred to Hinata that the threat was _far_ from eliminated…

------------------------------

Kiba and Shino stood in front of the entrance to Hinata's house, staring quite expectantly at the door as if their combined gaze alone could speed up the process of what they were about to do.

"So…" Kiba started halfheartedly. "You, uh, gonna knock?"

Shino said nothing, opting for the stay-silent-and-hope-he-forgets-I'm-here approach.

"Right…I figured as much…"

Another pregnant pause passed between them while Akamaru furrowed deeper into Kiba's coat.

Gulping, Kiba raised his shaking fist to the door and just prayed the butterflies in his stomach wouldn't be replaced with shuriken…

He was spared the pain of knocking though, as the heavy wooden door swung open to reveal the feared man of the hour. Kiba mentally cursed as he remembered Hyuuga Hiashi had probably sensed them and seen them through the door with his well-trained eyes. Well, there was no turning back now…

"Inuzuka, Aburame…What are you two doing here? Where is Hinata?" It was clear to Kiba and Shino that these were more demands than they were questions.

Kiba began to sweat as he gaped at the intimidating older man; all reason leaving him with nothing but the instinctive urge to run far, far away. Good teammate that he (mostly) was, Shino decided to give some aid to his distressing friend.

"She's not here," he offered bluntly. Hiashi fixed him with a dry stare while Kiba inwardly groaned.

"Care to be a bit more specific, Aburame?"

"She's, um…at the hospital!" Kiba answered for him, deciding to try and take control of the conversation. "Hyuuga-sama!" He added as an afterthought. Hey, a little sucking up couldn't hurt the situation…

"_What_?" Hiashi hissed tensely through gritted teeth. Kiba winced. Okay, so maybe saying she was in a hospital wasn't one of his better ideas…

"And just _why_ is my daughter in the hospital?"

"She…uh…broke her leg!" He made-up off the top of his head.

"When?! How?!"

"I-It happened during our training today! It was like a umm…freak-accident! Yeah!"

"What happened?"

Kiba shot a pleading glance at Shino who's look plainly told him he was on his own. "She fell out of a tree?" he answered lamely.

Hiashi seemed to find it believable enough though, because he paused his interrogation to start muttering to himself about "clumsy girls" and "not enough focus." He let out a frustrated sigh and Kiba released the breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. It seemed like they were in the clear…

"Which hospital is she staying at? Her mother will want me to bring her home," Hiashi asked him. Kiba felt his blood freeze.

Again, Shino finally felt the need to lend his assistance. "You can't."

Kiba resisted the urge to bash his head into a wall. His teammate was a genius in the field, but truly a social retard in every aspect.

Hiashi was looking quite deadly at the moment though, so Kiba quickly picked up where Shino had left off in attempt to placate him.

"There's a very good reason you can't see her, Hyuuga-sama!" Now if only he could think of it…

Hiashi turned his angry glare at him. "Really? And why is that?!"

"Because…she's…she's very contagious right now! No one but the doctors are allowed near her!"

The pulsing vein in the forehead of the leader of the Hyuuga family threatened to pop. "And just _how_ are broken legs_ contagious_?!" he roared at them.

"The wound got infected?" Kiba answered nervously.

"What's going on out here?" Hinata's mother suddenly appeared next to her husband in the doorway, and Kiba thanked god for her sense of timing. "Inuzuka-kun, Aburame-kun, why isn't Hinata with you? Did something happen?"

"Hinata's in the hospital," her husband answered for the boys. "She fell out of a tree and broke her leg. The wound's infected."

She gasped in surprise. "Really? It's not life-threatening is it?"

"No, ma'am," answered Kiba.

"Hmm…well, I trust the doctors know what they're doing. They know who she is---they'll take good care of her," she replied casually, immediately reassured of her child's safety. "Well, you boys had better head home. It's time for dinner." She headed back inside the house and Hiashi followed after her, but not after shooting one last suspicious glance in their direction.

"Shino?"

Shino grunted.

"We are so dead…"

------------------------------

Ok, ok, I know, this is WAY too short (a measly five pages), but before you complain about it, I promise you FULL compensation with the next chapter. I promise---10 pages or else! And PLOT DEVELOPMENT! Now doesn't that sound good?! Huh? Huh? (jazz hands)

Some very inconvenient events (people in hospitals, visits to family member that live too far away etc.) decided to rear their ugly heads into my schedule, and this is the result. TT Tragic, I know.

Gah…I give you all full permission to whine with gusto in your reviews…I deserve it…


	5. Of Painful Pasts & Formidible Futures

A/N: So I guess I should explain my sudden lack of updates. Unfortunately, something called real life decided to rear its ugly head, and I was seriously debating dropping this fic when one review made me decide otherwise. She wrote a rather lengthy, thought-out review that actually really encouraged me, so I'd like to thank her here for her kind words. Hun, you know who you are, and thanks . And now that I have my butt back into gear, I'm ready to update more regularly (though not quite as frequently as before) and hopefully Viv (my beta) will remind me to write too.

Now that we're done with that, on with the story! Chapter 5 to be exact, in which Naruto and Hinata's bonding session goes horribly wrong...(coughSEXYNOJUTSUcough)

Disclaimer: I've got jacked-up muscles from swimming, a rattled brain from Chinese, but no little deed saying I own either Naruto or Inuyasha. Sadness.

**Chapter 5: Of Painful Pasts and Formidible Futures...**

Hinata twiddled her thumbs idly as she sat in the corner, contemplating the sleeping boy on the mat in front of her. He'd been unconcious for a couple hours now, ever since Kakashi had made a rather well-aimed blow to the pressure point on the back of his neck. Suspiciously well aimed, she mused now, remembering his eerily familar stance. It was similar to her own jyuuken-style, but Kakashi couldn't possibly know the martial arts style handed down to the Hyuuga clan members. But then again, she remembered, he was technically her ancester, and the _founder_ of the clan for heaven's sake.

Said ancestor had gone off to help repair the damage done by the centipede demon after bandaging her wounds of course and warning her to stay in the hut so as not to reopen them. This did nothing to stop her thoughts and her heart panged with guilt as she remembered the monster's reason for coming to the village in the first place. Lifting the round jewel from her pocket to eye-level, she blinked at the warped reflection staring back at her from the pearly depths of the shikon.

It was now more important than ever that she find her way back home-she wouldn't risk putting the innocent villagers in danger again. The jewel had come from her body, and was therefore her responsibility, that much she accepted when Kakashi had handed it back to her after thorough inspection. Now if only she knew what it was...

An idea struck her as her reflection blinked at her again, and she held the jewel further at arm's length from her face, ready to test her hypothesis. The jewel looked harmless to the normal eye, but Hinata's byakugan were hardly considered normal. Plus, the jewel's ability to increase the centipede demon's abilities had sharpened her curiousity, and she was confident her eyes might uncover some of the mystery.

"Byakugan!" The chakra pathways near her eyes filled to their maximum capacity this time as she activated her bloodlimit, her white eyes focusing on the unremarkable jewel in her palm.

Dropping the jewel in shock and withdrawing her hand as if it had been burned, she stared at the bauble with something akin to fear. The jewel practically radiated eerie, incredible chakra, comparable to the amounts the boy had emitted before. But this chakra was slightly different-while the boy's had seemed wild and out-of-control, this chakra was so pure it was blinding, but so highly concentrated into its small shape it seemed ready to explode.

Unable to handle the intesity of its light any longer, she released her byakugan and stared warily at the jewel before carefully placing it in her pocket again for safekeeping. Now she definitely had to be more cautious with it, it would have been a disaster had a more powerful demon found the jewel first...

Naruto emitted a particularly loud snore then, interrupting her thoughts as he flung off his blankets and assumed a new position on his back. Ever caring, she moved to fix his blanket, bending down next to him and reaching over his slumbering form to thoroughly tuck him in.

_WHACK!_

"Aaah!" she cried in surprise and pain, as he spastically rolled over again and smacked her in the face with a careless hand. She fell forward onto him and he in turn sat up, throwing her off into his lap. He blinked at her blearily for a few moments before the situation sunk in, and he immediately proceeded to do what he did best: yell.

"AHHH! YOU PERVERT!" He shouted, throwing her off and letting her sprawl in a dazed heap on the ground. "Trying to molest me in my sleep, huh! Well, guess what mister-I'm on to you!"

Hinata blushed furiously at his accusations. Her-a-a...a _pervert_! "I-I'm so sorry, I!"

_BAM!_

She yelped as he fell face first into the ground at the sound of her apology and slapped her hands over her mouth as she realized her mistake. "Oh no, I!"

"DON'T SAY IT!" He screamed at her, painfully dragging himself upright again, waving his arms frantically in surrender. "You fool! You Neji-wannabe! You don't even have half the brains he had and here you are claiming to be him and slamming me into the floor like you're all that!"

"B-but," Hinata protested weakly, "I never claimed to be Neji. It was you who assumed that...!"

"SHUT-UP! Who asked you little miss know-it-all!" He snorted and glared at her through his narrowed eye lids, giving her a good one-over before resuming his rant. "Heh, well, with a body like that, you can't blame me for thinkin' you were a guy! You're all puny and skinny with no curves," he mimed an hourglass shape in the air in front of him, "girls should be like this!"

There was a loud "pop!" as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke and reappeared before her as a pretty, scantily-clad female, with a rather well-endowed bit of cleavage. Hinata stared on in pure shock, fearful of a potential nosebleed as he continued his lecture.

"You're supposed to have boobs like this, see?" he said, pointing at his hefty amount of cleavage. "That's what guys really look for!" Finally noticing her slack-jaw, he released the jutsu and scratched the back of his head boredly, as if her lack of response so far had disappointed him. "Ah, you're no fun," he muttered, scuffing a foot on the ground. "I guess that only works well on guys after all...Neji used to get nosebleeds all over the place..."

Hinata finally managed to close her mouth as another angry blush stained her cheeks, and she focused solely on the ground in front of her, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. "Yeah," Naruto continued, "Neji was way cooler than you, even if he was a dirty cheating bastard in the end." He snorted and spared her another passing glance. "Heh. No need to worry about you attacking me though, you're _way_ too weak to do me any harm," he stated arrogantly, ignoring the fact that a simple apology from her lips would have him flat on the ground.

Hinata seemed to forget this too as her head and posture fell lower, sagging with shame and self-disappointment. "Y-yes, I suppose you're right..."

"Of course I'm right. I always am! Not like that stupid-" Naruto blinked as he seemed to remember something very important. "Oh yeah, hey, where is Neji anyway?"

Hinata's head shot up in confusion, as the blonde scratched his chin in deep thought. "Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing him since I got attacked...hey, he didn't skip town on me did he? Probably figured I'd get offa that tree eventually and come and kick his ass so he hightailed it outta here..."

"Ano..." Hinata started, only to be shushed by Naruto.

"Quiet! I'm trying to think!" He resumed his thinking position. "He couldn't have gotten too far, I mean, I was probably only out for a couple of days or so, maybe weeks, some months max..."

Hinata's heart fell as she realized the implications of what he was saying-he had no idea what had happened...no idea that his entire life, his entire world was _gone_. _Well, doesn't that sound familiar, Hinata...?_

"Ano...N-Naruto-kun..."

"_What_! You don't know where Neji is, do you?" he snapped, finally facing her.

"A-Actually, Naruto-kun, Neji-sama is...ah..._no longer with us_," she said ominously, awaiting the reaction that might follow.

Needless to say, Naruto's reaction was not what she was expecting.

"That bastard! Coward! How dare he run away!" he shouted angrily as Hinata sweatdropped. "Stupid no-good traitor! It doesn't matter, I'll still hunt him down, and when I catch up I'm really gonna pound him!" He flexed his fist before pointing an accusing finger in her direction. "Hey, weirdo! Do you know where he went!"

Hinata face-vaulted. She'd gone from Neji, to pervert, to weirdo in only a couple of short hours. "T-that's _Hinata_..."

"Yeah, yeah, Hi-neji or whatever. Where'd he go!"

Hinata bit her lip nervously. She didn't like being the bearer of bad news, but she couldn't just keep the truth from him like that-it was his frie-er..._rival_ so he needed to know... "N-Naruto-kun, you misunderstood. I meant that N-Neji-sama has already passed on. He's dead. It has been more than 20 years since you were pinned to the tree, and Neji-sama died the day you first fell under the spell."

There was a moment of awkward silence as neither of them could find the words to say anything meaningful, and Naruto stared at her in shock. "N-no...!" He murmered. "NO!" He turned on her, leaping forward as he held the front of her shirt in his fists, her face mere inches from his. Unable to support the sudden weight, Hinata fell backwards and he pinned her to the ground, hands still clutching her shirt like some sort of life-line. "You're lying!" He shook her fiercely, eyes blazing with some un-named emotion. "You're lying, aren't you! Think this is funny, huh! Gonna get a good laugh out of this later!"

Hinata let out a small yelp as he shook her again and the back of her head painfully connected with the floor. "N-no, I!" she tearfully protested, automatically bringing an arm to guard her face as he removed one hand from her shirt. She opened her eyes again only when she felt him getting off of her, backing away slowly while staring at her with large, horrified eyes.

She immediately took the opportunity to shuffle back into the corner, returning his gaze with a terrified one of her own. He flinched at seeing her fear, and hastened his retreat towards the door. "D-DON'T LOOK AT ME! STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!" He shouted desperately, feet tripping over themselves as he clumsily tried to escape her stare. Finally, he turned and ran for it, heading in some unknown direction if only to avoid the truth and pity in her eyes.

Later, Hinata was unable to tell if the tears rolling down her face were for her or for him.

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REVIEW bizzotches. 'Nuff said. 

Yes, yes, I know, a lot of drama...TT No worries, things will be happier in time...


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